A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to single-shot rifles and, more specifically, to a lever-cocked single-shot rifle having a falling block action.
B. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of breechblock rifles are known in the prior art and are characterized according to the different type of action. The specific type of action is determined by the type of movement imparted to the breechblock as the breechblock moves into and out of engagement with the cartridge chamber of the receiver. Typical known actions include the swinging block action, the rolling block action and the falling block action.
A particularly well known falling block design is the Ruger No. 1 Falling Block Action which comprises a lever actuated single-shot mechanism having a breechblock contained, spring biased firing pin mechanism. The Ruger No. 1 design is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,833. A description of other falling block actions can be found in the book xe2x80x9cSingle-Shot Rifles and Actionsxe2x80x9d by F. deHass (1969).
Other falling block action rifles are known in the art which feature an exposed hammer as a part of the firing mechanism. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,196, issued Aug. 9, 1977, to Smith et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,827, issued Nov. 14, 1989, to Gentry, is an earlier patent to the present inventor which describes an improved action for a single shot falling block action rifle which can be provided of appropriate dimensions to be contained within an opening provided in a single-piece stock. The more traditional single shot falling block action rifle utilized a two part stock in order to accommodate a receiver having the requisite size and strength.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,699, issued Nov. 4, 1997, again to Gentry, describes an improved safety mechanism for a single-shot falling block action rifle. Falling block rifle actions, particularly those having exposed hammers, have traditionally been lacking in a method of safely carrying the rifle in the loaded condition. Particularly with regard to the falling block action rifles of the type discussed with respect to the Smith reference above, there was a need for an improved safety mechanism which would allow the weapon to be safely carried in the loaded condition. In this second Gentry patent, a sequence of operations were necessary in order to place the rifle in the ready-to-fire condition. The necessity of repeating this sequence of operations each time the rifle was fired improved the safety factor of the rifle since the rifle hammer was not capable of striking the firing pin in the safety position.
Despite the above noted advances in the art, there continues to exist a need to provide an improved single-shot falling block rifle which has an improved action which is simple and reliable in operation and which is safer than the conventionally available actions for such rifles.
A need also exists for such a rifle design which can be conveniently accommodated within a single piece stock without detracting from the existing lines and aesthetic appearance of the single piece stock.
A need also exists for such a rifle design in a single-shot falling block rifle which has an accuracy which approaches or equals that of a bolt action rifle.
The falling block rifle of the invention has an improved action which is simple in design and economical to manufacture and which exhibits aesthetically pleasing lines while accommodating a variety of different calibers. The rifle is basically comprised of a barrel, a stock, a receiver and an action, as will be further described herein. The receiver is mounted on one end of the barrel and includes a top surface and a bottom surface, a forward face which joins the barrel and a rearward face. The receiver has a radiused breechblock mortise formed in the rearward face to extend from the top surface to the bottom surface thereof. The receiver and assembled barrel together define a horizontally extending cartridge chamber suitably sized to receive a cartridge. The receiver has an internally threaded bore which comprises a barrel stub hole for receiving a mating externally threaded portion of a barrel end. A ring shaped opening in the receiver is machined within the receiver at a point at which the barrel stub hole meets the breechblock mortise. The rifle has a single piece stock having a suitably shaped opening for receiving the receiver and barrel.
The rifle of the invention also includes a lever-actuated, falling block action. The action includes a radiused breechblock movable within the radiused breechblock mortise formed within the receiver. The action also includes a firing pin which is alignable with a cartridge located in the cartridge chamber and a hammer for striking the firing pin to fire the cartridge. The breechblock is movable upwardly to cover the cartridge chamber during firing and is movable downwardly to expose the chamber for loading and unloading.
The radiused breechblock and radiused breechblock mortise form a radiused sliding contact surface as the action is moved upwardly and downwardly within the receiver. The radiused sliding contact surface between the breechblock and the breechblock mortise forms an angle greater than perpendicular to a horizontal axis drawn through the rifle chamber. In a particularly preferred form of the invention, the breechblock and the breechblock mortise are machined at an angle of approximately 95 degrees with respect to the horizontal axis of the rifle chamber, giving the sliding contact surfaces a slight slant.
The receiver of the rifle preferably includes a pair of oppositely arranged, downwardly projecting surfaces, each of which comprises a pivot point for the rifle lever. The internal fillet regions of the breechblock and the radiused breechblock mortise add to the strength of the projections by adding mass to the projecting regions.
The breechblock is raised and lowered in the breechblock mortise by movement of the rifle lever, the lever being pinned to the receiver at the pivot points of the downwardly projecting surfaces of the receiver and being connected to the breechblock by means of a connecting link. A lever catch is located on a rear surface of the receiver and includes a transverse catch spur which is engaged by a notch provided on the operating lever. Seating of the transverse catch spur within the operating lever notch serves to define a stopping point and defines a closed position for the operating lever. The length of the catch spur and the shape of the operating lever notch can be selectively designed to regulate the breaking force of the operating lever during the opening and closing cycle of the rifle action.
The hammer of the rifle action is pivotally pinned in a region machined in a lower front portion of the breechblock and moves upwardly and downwardly with the breechblock. The hammer is biased by a mainspring received in a mainspring housing provided in a rear portion of the receiver. The biasing force of the mainspring is transmitted to the hammer by means of a hammer strut which straddles the safety lever and which is also pivotally pinned to the hammer at the same point as the safety lever. In the preferred form, the hammer strut has two legs which are pinned together at a rear extent by means of a transverse pin. A portion of the hammer strut legs straddle the receiver at the mainspring housing with the transverse pin sliding within a pin slot milled into the receiver. The mainspring also preferably includes a mainspring guide. The pin slot is engaged within a mating opening provided on the mainspring guide. This engagement provides the necessary pivoting action between the mainspring guide and the hammer to allow the hammer to travel up and down within the breechblock.
The trigger of the action is pivotally pinned in a region milled in a lower rear portion of the breechblock. The trigger preferably has a sear surface located at an upper extent which contacts a corresponding sear surface milled into an extension on the rear of the hammer.
A roller having an exposed roller surface is carried on either side of the hammer. Corresponding cam surfaces are provided on the operating lever which together with the exposed roller surfaces comprise load bearing thrust surfaces. Contact between the rollers and cam surfaces as the operating lever nears the closing position serves to bias the breechblock rearwardly, thereby reducing excessive clearance or misalignment between the breechblock and receiver at the point of the load bearing thrust surfaces.
The rifle action further includes a safety lever which is pinned to the hammer in a midregion thereof. The safety lever has a pair of leg extensions which protrude forwardly in order to contact a corresponding surface machined into the breechblock at a point below the firing pin. Movement of the hammer to a cocked position causes the safety lever leg extensions to contact the breechblock and pivot the hammer rearwardly, thereby separating the trigger sear and hammer sear and blocking forward movement of the hammer. The safety lever is preferably provided with a thumb spur at an upper extent thereof, the thumb spur being shrouded by sidewalls of the receiver. Backward movement of the thumb spur of the safety lever causes the safety lever leg extensions to cam out of the breechblock and place the rifle in a ready to fire condition. The safety lever is held in the resulting rearward position by means of a pair of spring loaded detents permanently mounted in the hammer.
The firing pin of the rifle action is carried by the breechblock and has a front tip which is aligned with the cartridge located in the receiver chamber when the breechblock is in the firing position. The firing pin has a normally exposed rear surface which is acted upon by the striking surface of the hammer when the trigger is pulled. The safety lever acts to block outside access to the exposed rear surface of the firing pin when in a safety position. The safety lever is prevented from being placed in the safety position when the hammer is in the fired position.
Additional objects, features and advantages will be apparent in the written description which follows.